Destroya
by PartyPoison
Summary: He had taken everything away from her with a single shot to the head. With a new found innocence coupled with a vengeance to find the man responsible, she vowed not only for redemption but to bring salvation to the wasteland. But will the mysterious sniper be able to keep her from the grasp of the haunting legionairre? Or will she fall into the hands of evil itself? F!Courier
1. Look Alive, Sunshine

***Hey! So sudden inspiration hit to finally start writing a beautiful fanfic about Fallout: New Vegas after becoming obsessed with the game! As of now, I haven't decided on the finally pairing but do know it with be something involving both Boone and the gorgeous Vulpes Inculta (what can I say? I love bad boys with a smooth tongue). Hope you enjoy the introduction!**

* * *

**Destroya**

* * *

**Chapter 1: Look Alive, Sunshine**

* * *

When she woke up, she had no idea where she was. The air was stale and it came through her lungs in gusts of dirt and dust. She coughed as some got congested in the back of her throat and made to sit up but a worn, tan hand pushed her back into her lying position. Where was she? She didn't remember a thing.

"You're awake!" A voice to her left exclaimed. "How 'bout that!"

She blinked a few times, recognizing the pattern of speech. She tried to form words but her mind only held discombobulated phrases and words that were not an appropriate response. She raised an arm to grasp at her head lightly. Apparently that was enough of a reaction for the person.

"Why don't you relax a second? Get your bearings." The voice said again. This time she forced herself to sit up and take a look at where she was. Sitting in a stool was an older man in a wasteland doctor outfit. His clothes brought a flash of memories into her mind but they were so blurry it has hard to connect anything. She grabbed at her head again. "Whoa easy there. You've been out for a couple days now."

"Where am I?" She choked out. Her voice dry and rusty from the lack of use. The doctor held out a bottle of purified water for her.

"Welcome to Goodsprings." He replied cheerfully.

She tried to recall anything that would tell her why she was here, but she was met with the same blankness.

"I hope you don't mind but I had to go prodding around your noggin. I pride myself in my needlework but you were a real mess when you got here. But why don't you check it out? See how I did?"

He held out a mirror in her direction and she took it with shaking hands. She didn't even remember what she looked like so it probably wouldn't help any. But she took a look anyways. Staring back at her was a young girl, possibly around her late teens or early twenties. Her skin was tan, probably from spending days in the sun. Her cerulean eyes were almost haunting and her auburn hair was the deep, lustful color of rust. It stuck to clumps of blood on her face. She pushed the mirror away instantly, feeling sick to her stomach of how little she recognized. What had happened to her?

"I did the best I could." The doctor said in response to her reaction. "I'm Doc Mitchell. You got a name?"

She had to think for a moment. Who was she? No name popped up in her mind, no memories of anything from before this moment besides a distinct picture of the barrel of a polished gun.

"I don't-." She choked out.

"Amnesia." Doc Mitchell remarked, studying her closely. "Very common with head wounds. Hopefully you're memory will slowly start to come back in a few weeks."

Tears threatened to slip out of her cobalt eyes and she sipped on more of the water until the rusty taste in the back of her throat vanished. She set down the bottle and took time to observe the rest of her body. She was in her undergarments, a thin tank-top that exposed the tight skin of her stomach and a pair of shorts that barely covered the tops of her thighs. There were no wounds on the rest of her body but her head was pounding. She raised a hand up to stroke her forehead lightly. Her fingers caught on to a couple of stitches. Pain flushed through her body and she instantly pulled her fingers away.

"You had a pretty nasty bullet wound to the head." Doc Mitchell explained. "It's a good thing Victor brought you in when he did. Otherwise you might not be sittin' here."

"Who's Victor?" She asked, ignoring the obvious question of why she had been shot in the first place. She figured the doctor didn't have the answer to that question anyways.

"We can get to introductions later." He said. "No sense in keeping you in bed anymore. Why don't you walk to the machine over in the corner?"

The lithe courier managed a nod and stumbled to get up. Doc Mitchell came to her aid, grabbing her elbow and keeping her steady. Her basic motor functions seemed in tact still. She managed to make it over to the machine.

"Good. Steady." The Doc praised. "Why don't you give the Vig-O-Master a try. Get to know your vitals."

She did as she was told but the light of the machine gave her a headache and blurred her vision. She didn't even make out her scores.

"Yup, that's a pretty standard score." Doc Mitchell filled in for her. "But considering what you've been through, I'd say that's great. But that's only your vitals. Doesn't mean that bullet didn't make you nutters. What do you say you take a seat on my couch and I'll go through a couple questions?"

Doc Mitchell went through a series of questions with her that she answered vaguely. He complimented her motor skills once more as he had expected one she woke up she wouldn't remember how to walk or speak. Given her state of attire, he had let her clean up before he gave her a jumpsuit from Vault 21 and sent her on her way. He mentioned that she might visit someone named Sunny Smiles in the saloon to teach her how to survive the wasteland.

As soon as she stepped outside, the sun bare down on her face. It was a sensation that she recalled almost instantly. With a pang in her heart, she fought back tears. Why couldn't see remember anything? A chunk of metal drifted by and she realized this was probably the "Victor" Doc Mitchell had told her about. Wanting to remember anything about the night she got shot, she chased after him. His sensors picked up her presence.

"Howdy Partner!" It exclaimed in a programmed Southern accent. The screen glitched and exposed a cartoon cowboy.

"You're Victor." She state bluntly, still observing the robot.

"That would be me, little darlin'." He replied back. "Didn't expect to see you walkin' around so soon."

She shrugged in response, "Do you know anything about the guys who attacked me?"

"Didn't get a real good look at them." Victor answered. "One was wearin' some fancy suit. He looked all hat and no cattle if ya' ask me. Might wanna check in with the lady that runs that Saloon over there. Saw them leave from there couple days ago."

She nodded her head, glad he offered some assistance, but she was still curious, "What are you?"

She could faintly remember other robots she encountered, but she couldn't place them.

"I'm a Securitron, RobCo security model 2060-B. If you see any of my brothers tell them Victor says howdy." Victor replied cheerfully before rolling off.

"Wait!" She called after him and he whirled around. "Do you…Do you know who I am?"

"Courier Six." He said automatically. "On her way to deliver a package to New Vegas."

And then he made his leave for good.

So she had been a courier, she pondered as she walked towards the Saloon. The job title rang in a sense of familiarity. She could briefly remember carrying packages around the desert, working for the Mojave Express. But she couldn't recall anything past that. And she still didn't remember her name. She didn't quite know where she would go from here but she figured she might as well re-learn how to defend herself. And get more information on the people who shot her too. She felt immense anger as she thought about the group of guys who had jumped her.

Once she walked inside, the cool air struck her instantly. She let out a breath of relief and her shoulders relaxed. But not for long. A growling dog caught her attention and she pressed her body against the door.

"Cheyenne, stay." A redhead next to the dog shouted. "Don't worry, she won't bite unless I tell her too."

Her comment did little to ease the courier.

"Hey, you're that girl Doc was fixin' up." The girl exclaimed. "Most of us reckoned you didn't have a fightin' chance. Good to see you out and about. And healing nicely."

Her hand subconsciously rose to stroke the stiches on the side of her forehead.

"You wouldn't happen to be Sunny Smiles?" She questioned.

"That's me." Sunny said. "Though I didn't get your name."

"I don't quite remember it." She replied before going straight to business, not wanting to hear pity. "Doc Mitchell said you might be able to teach me some before I go out into the Mojave."

"Doc mentioned you might need something to kick start that noggin of yours." Sunny said. "Alright, meet me out back in about ten minutes. I got to go grab my other rifle."

The courier thanked the girl before she traipsed out of the Saloon to get her gun. With ten minutes to spare, she figured she could get a word in with the owner of the place, see if she knew anything about the people who shot her.

* * *

Trudy gave her all sorts of information about the Legion and the NCR before she told her where those guys had run off too. And after a couple lessons with Sunny that brought back memories of shooting and learning a new recipe, she had given her a route to get to Primm, which she would eventually leave for.

She had visited Doc Mitchell again to check of her wound and he told her it was probably best if she stuck around Goodsprings until he could remove them.

She agreed and in the weeks spent here, most of her time hunting geckos with Sunny. She had also managed to sneak into the schoolhouse and break the safe. The terminal had been easy to hack but instead of unlocking it through that, she tested out her lock pick skills. Because of her newly found skills with a gun and a knife, the townsfolk had come up with a name for her.

They had taken to calling her killer, but because of their accents, it had come to be Killa. It was her new identity. Killa, the courier who got shot by a group of men and left to die only to be saved with no memory of her past life. She had taken to sitting by the un-dug grave where Victor had pulled her out. She hoped it would spark some memory from her life. Instead, all she could recall was the same image of that polished gun and something about a game being rigged.

But everything took a turn when a man named Joe Cobb showed up and demanded Trudy to hand over Ringo, the caravaneer hiding in the old gas station on the top of the hill. After everything Goodsprings had done to help her, she knew that helping them get rid of their Powder Ganger problem had to be her parting gift. After enlisting Sunny to help, getting some extra medical supplies from Doc after she impressed him with the little knowledge she had managed to grasp from the books he gave her (her least favorite one being about the reproduction methods and why every month she would have to find some sort of thing to absorb an unusual bleeding), and swaying Chet with her natural charisma into giving them some leather armor, the ghost town gunfight was success. Ringo and Sunny had managed to do away with the unprepared Gangers, leaving Joe Cobb in Killa's attention.

She had knelt before him, a previous gunshot to the side keeping the bitter man from moving. He had been delirious, asking her why she looked like a rose when she was the Grim Reaper herself when he stared at her coppery hair glittering in the Mojave Sun. She couldn't stand the sight of someone in so much pain, accepting the death that was coming for him. So she had kissed him on the mouth. Just a lingering kiss that for one second, took him to another time and place, a separate reality. And in his bliss, she had pulled the trigger and he had fallen against the hot asphalt.

Sunny had watched the whole thing and came up to Killa's side a moment later, questioning the abnormal behavior.

Killa's only response was that she had read in one of Doc's books that kissing could be a pleasant experience. So she had kissed him before killing him because she wanted him to have one last pleasant memory before he went. And then she had left Goodsprings with a happy good-bye and promises of returning.

And in the weeks it took to reach Primm, she had developed a reputation around the Mojave Desert from taking out Powder Gangers and raiders on her way.

The Kiss of the Rose. It marked each of her kills.

And people began to associate her warm, soft lips with the mark of a dead man.

* * *

**Author's Note: So kinda slow beginning and such but this was more of an introduction than a chapter if anything. Next chapter should cover Primm and Nipton hopefully and things will pick up. Thanks for reading! Please drop a review and let me know what you think!**


	2. Desolation Row

**Destroya**

* * *

**Chapter 2: Desolation Row**

* * *

Sweat was cascading down her back as the sun beat fiercely down her shoulders. It had been two weeks since she had left Goodsprings. According to Sunny, the trip shouldn't have taken her so long. But the multitude of Powder Gangers who now knew her face as the Grim Reaper had stopped her from progressing far. It seemed no matter how hard she tried to hide, they could find her. Most of the time, it was only a pair of them. She could usually shoot one and the other would run off like a coward. But on the occasion, she was met with armed Gangers. A bullet had grazed her thigh during her last run in with them, but thanks to the leather armor she charmed off Chet and two stimpaks, she was well on her way.

And now she could see the outline of a rollercoaster in the distance. A light smile covered her face even though she knew the men who had tried to kill her where well on their way. But Trudy had told her about the Mojave Express building they had in Primm. Maybe they had some sort of papers on her, some contract she had signed. And then she would know her real name, not the Killa Rose everyone had begun to associate her with.

As soon as she was in the town's limit, a soldier appeared, stopping her from her progression. He was in a pair of fatigues with the letters NCR written on them. In the back of her mind it brought a sense of familiarity and she didn't know if it was due to something from her past life or because of Trudy's description of them.

"Hey! Where the hell do you think you're going?" He exclaimed, crossing his arms as he stared her down. "Primm is off limits."

Killa felt a jolt of fear rise in her stomach and found the feeling quite unusual.

"There's someone here I have to talk to." She replied.

The officer tweaked an eyebrow in her direction, "You don't look like one of the Gangers…so who are you looking for?"

"My boss." Killa felt that was a good enough answer. "I work for the Mojave Express. Courier Six."

"So you're that broad New Vegas keeps talking about." The officer said. "Well by all means, go ahead. But you're looking to get another shot in the head."

Killa felt put off by his callous behavior, "I can take care of myself."

He looked doubtful but let her pass anyways. She refused to meet his stare as she walked by him and felt relieved when she was inside the town's border.

Until she was attack…

* * *

Jonathon Nash had little to tell her about who she was. All his paperwork was back in his house that doubled as the Mojave Express headquarters. But they were all trapped inside a hotel; the Powder Gangers holding their deputy hostage in the neighboring hotel. She would have gone to help him out, but she lacked the proper weapons and ammunition to take out a whole lot of the Gangers. With a promise to come back once equipped better, she set off again. She needed to find a trading post of some traveling merchant.

A large statue had called her attention and after taking out several Vipers and some radscorpions, she was greeted by more NCR officers. These ones where a little nicer to her and she took out an ant problem for them before asking them to help with Primm's situation. Major Knight had agreed to send more troops to the NCR camp settled there but he made no promises that they would help with the hostage situation. Feeling exasperated, Killa had gone to the bar to hopefully exchange some of the things she was carrying for caps. She talked to a bitter woman named Cass who told her all about her sorrows and then mentioned that if she needed work she should look up Alice McLafferty from Crimsons Caravan.

Lacey, the bartender, had told her Ghost might need some work done for her as well so Killa headed upstairs to speak to the sniper. She had informed her of her concerns for the town of Nipton and notified Killa of the rising smoke coming from that direction. Killa promised her to check it out since the woman couldn't leave her post.

On her way out of the outpost she found a traveling merchant and managed to buy a 10mm Pistol that was far better than the varmint rifle Sunny had given her. She then set her sights on Nipton, vowing to check out the town, return to Ghost and then go back to Primm to work on the hostage situation.

* * *

Vulpes Inculta stared grimly at the burning bodies with a deep sense of arousal tugging at his navel. These filthy, low-life dissolutes deserved every lick of fire their flesh encountered. And he was proud of his work, as always. Caesar had given him this mission because he knew how merciless Vulpes was, how he lacked any empathy for those who divulged themselves with sin. And Caesar wanted to make his mark known in the worst possible way, to inspire fear in every crevice of the Mojave.

Vulpes did his job well and the screaming, sobbing bodies that hung to the cross only emphasized that.

The only thing annoying him now where the giggling Recruits that had been sent along with him. He knew this had been their first official task in the eyes of Caesar, to make sure they could be strong soldiers. And Vulpes remembered the first time he helped hang a body on a cross, the first time he watched a profligate beg for their life. He knew how enthralling it all was. But they were not here to be disrespectful or to giggle at the pain of others. They were here to punish this people for their sins and spread the mark of Caesar.

"Stop your giggling, recruits." Vulpes barked. "Gather the dogs. It is time we return to Caesar."

The recruits instantly became quiet and followed his commands. Vulpes felt a sinister smile coat his face as he watched them scramble to please him. But a subtle noise of footsteps behind him caused him to whirl around. That was when he laid eyes on her.

She walked through the ruined town cautiously. A 10mm Pistol was hooked to the belt of her pants and her armor was torn around her thigh. Her body was lean but rippled with muscle under the tight, tan skin. Her hair fell in waves around her shoulders, the same color of the red sunset that covered the horizon beyond her. When the tire pile stopped her from advancing in her direction, her body shifted towards where Vulpes and his man awaited.

"Should we kill her?" One of the recruits whispered, looking for directions.

Vulpes held up his hand to silence him and began to walk down the steps. She didn't notice him or any of them at first. Her wide cerulean eyes that reminded him of the Legion mongrels took in the sight of the crucifixions. He saw her small hand itch for her gun but instead it fell heavily at her side.

She was beautiful. Beautiful enough for Vulpes to take an interest in her. It was uncommon here in the wasteland to come across a woman like her. Most of the woman out here believed themselves to be males, always standing strong with their arms crossed and an unflattering grimace on their would be pretty faces. But this girl was different. Her features were quite feminine, a sleek nose, large eyes, a slender neck and a beautifully sculpted jawline. But there were slaves back at the fort that shared similar looks. It wasn't just her beauty that was drawing him in. It was the innocence in her eyes, the look of a child seeing the world for the first time. Such innocence was lost in the Mojave, especially of someone her age (although she looked rather young).

"You." One of the men hanging breathed out forcefully as his eyes set upon the girl before laughing bitterly. His voice was rough and fading and the girl leaned in closer to hear him. "The last thing a man sees before he dies. I thought you were a myth."

"I-" The girl choked out but not finding words. She flipped her large pack around to the front of her body and began to dig through it. "Maybe I…maybe I can help. I'll cut you down and I have quite a few stimpaks left."

Her hands found a knife in her bag but before she could try and cut the man free (which Vulpes knew would only kill him), he intervened.

"Don't worry. I won't have you lashed to a cross like the rest of these degenerates." The words snaked out of his mouth and wrapped around her head. "It's useful that you happened by."

He expected her to look at him with fear but instead, she just gave him the same curious and wide-eyed look she had kept since entering the town. The look excited him. While he enjoyed being feared by his comrades, it had been so long since someone had looked at him with such wonder and pure innocence. The bag dropped from her hands as did the knife.

"Who are you?" The girl asked, her voice soft as she gazed up to the dog's head that he wore.

"We are Caesar's Legion." Vulpes replied watching as a spark of realization ignited in her eyes.

"Is it true that you guys bathe in animal blood and use your slaves as Brahmins?" The girl asked, her eyes wide and penetrable as she stared up at him.

The men behind him began to chortle at her question and Vulpes felt a smile work its way onto his face as well.

"Ah, so naïve." He observed, unable to stop himself from reaching out a gloved hand to stroke the soft flesh of her cheek. "And innocent. Such traits are uncommon in the Mojave.

His words confused her, he could tell.

"I want you to witness the fate of the town of Nipton, to memorize every detail. And then, when you move on?" Vulpes said as she continued to stare up at him with unwavering eyes. "I want you to teach everyone you meet the lesson that Caesar's Legion taught here, especially any NCR troops you run across."

"What lessons were taught here?" She asked, turning her head to look at the men hanging from the crosses. Vulpes grabbed her chin and directed her gaze back to him. He wanted to stare into her pure eyes, wanted to watch as the knowledge settled in. Everything about him screamed to dominate her. Her large coyote eyes only reminding him of the mongrels that obeyed every command of his.

"Where to begin?" He chuckled with delight. "That they are weak, and we are strong? This much was known already. But in the depths of their moral sickness, their dissolution? Nipton serves as the perfect object lesson."

He had confused her again, her face readable like a book.

"They were sick?" She questioned, tilting her head to the side as she studied him. He found himself excited by the look in her eyes, the burning curiosity that illuminated her cobalt eyes.

"Nipton was a wicked place, debased and corrupt. It served all comers, so long they paid." He continued. "Profligate troops, Powder Gangers, men of the Legion such as myself-the people here didn't care. It was a town of whores."

"Profligate troops?" Killa questioned, not familiar with the term.

"I believe they call themselves the NCR, the New California Republic." Vulpes said watching the realization set in her eyes. He hoped she wasn't affiliated with the troops. He would have to kill her on spot and that would be a waste of such a beautiful girl that had the potential to be an excellent slave. "They vow to protect the citizens of these lands but all they are protecting is sin. I suppose they were to protect this town. They didn't do a very good job of it, as you can tell."

Killa felt herself look back towards the moaning people on the crosses. She had killed many people in the weeks it had taken to get here: raiders, Powder Gangers, people who tried to steal her things. She had taken out many animals as well. But seeing the people hung up like that and feeling the fire lick her skin even from her safe distance away, a burning sensation was building up in her stomach. And for a second, she was brought back to a time when she had felt this feeling. But as soon as the memory came, it passed, leaving her just as empty as before.

"What did you do to them?" She asked in confusion. She wanted to understand, to make sense of the things she was seeing. Because of the shot to the head, she had to relearn the world.

"I captured everyone and herded them to the center of the town." Vulpes stated. "I told them their sins, the foremost being disloyalty. I told them that when Legionaries are disloyal, some are punished, the others made to watch. And I announced the lottery."

So this is what that crazy man was talking about, Killa thought, remembering the guy she had encountered on the way in.

"Each clutched his ticket, hoping it would set him free. Each did nothing, even when "loved ones" were dragged away to be killed." Vulpes said, a bitterness filling his voice.

"You killed all these people?" She breathed out in shock as the man nodded his head in pride.

"They outnumbered us, yet not once did they try to resist." He said. "Cowards."

Killa felt herself agreeing with him. Perhaps these people where as sinful as he was telling her and they knew they deserved every bit of punishment. It made his actions seem just…She found herself staring at the dog he wore on his head once more. Everything about this man confused her. She glanced at the group behind him and their leering stares made the hairs on her arms stand up.

"Legionaries, it is time to move out." He commanded to the men still standing attentively behind him. When he could hear them scuffling about, his attention was back on the girl.

"I trust you will spread word of what you saw here?" He questioned and watched as she nodded in obedience.

He grabbed the hair on the back of her head and guided her closer to him. He leaned his head down to place his lips at the base of her ear. He inhaled her scent, much like a dog causing her body to tense up as fear tinged her heart.

"_Vobis erit meus."_ He whispered into her ear before backing away.

He turned to follow his men but not before glancing at her frozen form one last time, "Till our paths meet again."

And then he has gone.

* * *

**Author's Note: I hope you all enjoy chapter 2. Next chapter should include Boone and then hopefully things will pick up from there! Don't forget to drop a review and let me know what you think! Thanks! (:**


	3. Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge

**Destroya**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge**

* * *

Boone's first instinct when he saw a flash of crimson illuminating the dark roads was to shoot. So that's what he prepared himself for. Kneeling down to get a better grip on his rifle, he took in a long drag of cold air as he peered through the scope. Expecting to see a band of Legionaries in their tunics and armor, he was surprised when the spot of crimson turned out to be some girl's hair. Frustrated that he wouldn't be able to take out any Legion men, he almost contemplated just shooting her. Maybe then the townsfolk of Novac would have a reason to off him, or sell him to the Legion like they did his wife.

Movement through the scope diverted his attention from his thoughts as he finally noticed that the girl seemed to be running away from something. Moving his rifle to get a better look at the offender, he realized it was only a fire gecko. Easy kill.

But the girl was a lousy shot.

She held a cheap 10mm pistol in her right hand, trying to aim and run at the same time. But all she managed to shoot was an old freeway sigh and a couple of rocks.

The noise seemed to be riling up the gecko even more as it chased her with a new vigor.

Boone watched for a couple of seconds, slightly amused yet slightly irritated. If all she had for a weapon was that gun and she couldn't even aim it properly, how the hell had she managed to survive?

Maybe she was one of those city broads who barely knew the difference between a pistol and a revolver.

_Carla…_

Boone pulled his trigger and watched as the gecko slumped against the asphalt.

The girl whipped around, glancing in every direction before staring down at her gun with a look of confusion.

She was stupid too.

* * *

Killa had managed to stalk out the rest of the night, munching on some snack cakes. When the sun began to rise, people began to mull around town. The first thing that caught her eye, besides the huge dinosaur, was the medical tents. She had used up the last of her stimpaks and she could trade a few things she acquired from her journeys for some new ones. Sunny had taught her all about trading.

"Hi!" Killa grinned as soon as the doctor was in view.

The woman turned around and she didn't look real friendly, "What do you need?"

"Uh, I need medical supplies."

The woman's bark of a laugh made her jump, "Yeah, and I need sterile medical supplies. But let's see what I have with me."

She managed to trade off a pressure cooker and a few containers of some weird thing called Jet. The woman had seemed eager for them.

"Hey, you wouldn't happened to have any books or anything?" Killa asked, recalling the books she had read at Doc Mitchell's. They fascinated her.

The woman seemed to be bored with her as she looked around her set-up. She did manage to pull out two weathered textbooks. Killa accepted them eagerly and paid a hefty price before leaving.

The lady in the lobby, Jeannie something or another, gave Killa the creeps. In her short time traveling, Killa had talked to various people. She had spent a couple hours trying to charm information off of Deputy Beagle after she saved his ass from the Gangers for heaven's sake. But nobody had left quite an impression like Jeannie had. Everything that came out of her mouth sounded planned, as if she had written out the whole thing before Killa had even entered her lobby. She tried to portray herself as a nice, welcoming lady that kept this small little town safe and cozy. But she had been so mechanical and falsely alluring, almost like Victor. But Victor was a robot and he was programmed to say things. Jeannie was a human.

Things just kept confusing Killa. But nonetheless, she had given her a lead to find out more information about the men who kidnapped her and shot her. Talk to Manny, is what she said and then told her he was in the dinosaur's head.

Why he was in the dinosaur's head was beyond her. But she was excited to walk up the dinosaur. She had never been in one as far as she could remember.

As soon as she entered the door, she was greeted by a man lounging against the wall behind a counter.

"Hey, pretty lady." He said as soon as he set his eyes on her. "You've made it just in time, with only a few T-Rex souvenirs left in stock for purchase!"

Killa's gaze landed on the small dinosaur plushies on the counter.

"These are for sale?" She couldn't hide her enthusiasm.

The man nearly dropped the plushie he was holding in his hands before a grin took over his face. He pushed himself off the wall eagerly and strode over to her, pushing one of the dinosaurs on the counter in her direction. She picked it up and pet the soft fur.

"How much?" She asked, looking up at her.

"For you? One cap." He gave her a wink and watched her cheeks turn a light pink.

She looked flustered for a minute as she dug through her pack and pulled out a little Brahmin skin sack. She opened it and peered inside. After her splurge on the books and the extra stimpak from Ada, she only had five caps left. With a shrug she dumped them onto the counter.

"I'll take five." She said, grabbing four more of the little dinosaurs and hugging them greedily. The man looked surprised for a moment before picking up one cap and sliding the rest back to her.

"Now what kind of a man would I be if I robbed a pretty girl of all her money." He said jokingly. "Take them. Hell, take as many as you like. I'm just glad to be getting rid of some of them."

"Who wouldn't want any of these little things?" She asked, rubbing her nose against the soft nose of the dinosaur. The man laughed at her childish behavior.

"Cliff Briscoe." He introduced himself. "I'd really love to know the name of the girl who took some of these pesky dinosaurs out of my hands."

"Killa Rose." She answered back, distracted. She was far more interested in her new little pets.

"I reckon you didn't come in here to buy these." Cliff said.

The Courier looked at him in confusion for a second, as if she didn't remember why she had come in either. But then a light seemed to go off in her head and she packed her dinosaurs away, grabbing the rest of the caps.

"You're right." She said. "I came to see Manny. Jeannie said he'd be up in the dinosaur mouth."

Cliff nodded, briefly wondering what her business was with the sniper. He pointed to the stairwell.

"Just up those stairs." He said.

She gave him a nod before bounding up the stairs. She eagerly pushed the door open and stepped into the sunlight.

The man seemed alerted at the sound of the opening door but when he met her eyes, his harsh look sliding into a welcoming smile.

"What's going on?" He asked.

Killa smiled back, "You're Manny, right?"

"That would be me." He said. "I didn't get your name, though."

"Killa." She answered. "Uh, Jeannie said you had some answers to my questions."

He quirked an eyebrow, "Depends on what you're asking."

She crossed her arms subconsciously, "I'm looking for a man in a checkered coat."

"Sure, I know him." He said, looking at her suspiciously. "What do you want with him?"

Killa looked lost for a moment and struggled to answer before shrugged, "Just looking for answers, I guess."

He looked at her oddly, "Well listen, I can definitely help you find him. But I've got some problems of my own. Maybe we can do a trade."

Killa clasped her hands together, grinning. She pulled one of the dinosaurs from her pack free, "I got dinosaurs! Do you want one?"

Manny chuckled, shaking his head.

"Those fuckers ain't what I'm looking for." He answered.

Her grin lessened and she put the plushie away, "Okay, what do you need me to do?"

* * *

After helping out with the midnight ranch attacks, she had sort of forgotten all about the task Manny had asked her to do. She blamed the sudden adrenaline rush she had gotten when that blue invisible thing had popped out, unloading loads of bullets upon her. But in reality, she just had a pretty shitty memory. For some reason, she recalled that it had always been that way, not just because of the gunshot to the head that scrambled her brain.

So with the new rush of excitement because of her kill, and the mysterious new gun she acquired, she ran up the dinosaur steps, not even noticing that it was about two in the morning. She just wanted to remember where exactly she had to go to get the ghouls, or whatever Manny had called them. Mainly she just wanted to keep on killing because it was fun and she got new, cool things every time.

So when she thrust the door open, the last thing she expected was to be staring down the end of a rifle. Or that instead of Manny's warm face, she was greeted with a dark frown and cold eyes of a stranger.

The man lowered his rifle after a small pause.

"Goddamn it! Don't sneak up on me like that." He exclaimed. "What do you want?"

"Uh, you're not Manny." She said dumbly in response.

The man's eyes narrowed even more before he answered mechanically, "Manny works the morning and afternoon shift."

Killa nodded in realization, "So you must be Boone. I'm Killa. Manny talks about you a lot."

"I think you'd better leave." He answered not a beat latter.

The girl deflated a bit at his words.

"Just trying to make friendly conversation." She said, holding her hands up in surrender.

"I don't have friends here." He answered stoically.

"Well, it's a good thing I'm not from here!" She replied happily.

Boone gave her an inquisitive look, "No. No you're not. Maybe you shouldn't go. Not just yet."

"You're not going to shoot me, right?" She asked. "Because I've already been shot once and I-"

"No." Boone interrupted. "Look, I need someone I can trust. You're a stranger. That's a start."

"You can trust me!" She replied enthusiastically.

He looked doubtful but continued nonetheless, "I want you to find something out for me. I don't know if there's anything to find, but I need someone to try."

Killa cocked her head to the side and waited for him to continue.

"My wife was taken from our home by Legion slavers one night while I was on watch."

"The Legion took your wife?" Killa exclaimed. "Why would they do that? They seemed like nice people, wore these skirts and little dog heads-"

The wind was knocked out of her as she was suddenly shoved back into the wall behind her. Boone was close now, pinning her body down as she stared at her with the same cold eyes that were now filled with hate.

"Are you with the Legion?" He barked. Women were usually never with the Legion considering their philosophy, but he had never heard someone talk so openly and positively about them…Maybe she was a slave sent in to do their dirty work.

"What?" She breathed out in complete shock.

"I said: are you with the Legion?" He pronounced, rising his rifle against the temple of her head.

What was with people and shooting her in the head?

"No, I just ran into them a while back." She said, her eyes widening as she stared up at him. Boone couldn't decipher if her innocence was genuine or an act. He was leaning towards it being an act…people just weren't that naïve in the Mojave.

"Where?" He grunted, not letting her go.

"Nipton." She answered hastily. "Look, No-Bark told me he saw some mole-rat people wandering through the town in the middle of the night, something about looking for pretty hair. Did your wife have pretty hair? Maybe they took her."

Boone looked down at her as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. So this girl really was as dumb as she seemed, he finally decided. Did she always believe everything she was told? Maybe he shouldn't be giving her this quest. Manny could sprout off more lies about how Carla probably ran away back to New Vegas and she would believe him on spot. He dove deeper in his thoughts and confusions until her voice awoke him again.

"Can you let go of me now?" She asked. "You're hurting me."

Boone released her as if he had been burnt by her skin.

She rubbed at her upper arm when his free hand had been gripping her tightly. It was red and for a moment, he felt a little guilty.

"So you really think the Legion took her?" She asked. "Then why had they been so nice to me? I mean, the guy was a little weird. But-"

"The Legion is manipulative." Boone replied.

"What does that mean?" She asked, looking at him curiously.

This girl made no sense to him. How was she even alive when she could hardly take care of herself with a gun and she was naïve as a four year old child?

"That means they say and do things to make people see them in a way they want to be seen." He dumbed it down enough for her to understand. "But underneath it all they're pure evil."

"So he tricked me?" She replied and her shoulders slumped forward. Her hand unconsciously rose to her scar. This stupid gunshot was ruining her life. She couldn't remember anything and now she was being tricked and fooled by people she didn't even know. It made the vengeance inside her only that much stronger as she thought about the people who caused this.

Boone could only nod.

"So what do you want me to do?" She asked.

"Those bastards knew when to come and what route to take, and they only took Carla. Someone set it up. I don't know who."

"So you want me to find your wife?" She asked.

"Carla's dead." Boone noted in the same monotone voice. "I want the son of a bitch who sold her."

Killa nodded, "I can do that."

Boone was momentarily surprised that she didn't ask him how he knew.

She thought back to all the townsfolk she had encountered. All of them seemed very nice and welcoming. She recalled No-Bark's story about the mole people. Maybe he was talking about the Legion. Maybe instead of the little dog hats they were wearing mole-rats on their heads. He said they had gone into the motel and left through the lobby. The lobby. That's where she would look for clues. With the new worry about people tricking her like the man in Nipton had done, she wanted pure evidence not just someone's word.

"Bring him in front of the nest here while I'm on duty." Boone said, catching her attention. "I work nights."

She nodded and he continued.

"I'll give you my NCR beret to put on. It'll be our signal, so I know you're standing with him. And I'll take care of the rest. I need to do this myself."

Killa grabbed the dusty beret from his hands and shoved it into her pack. Eager to start her search, she waved good-bye and took off down the stairs.

* * *

Killa bounded up the stairs, full of energy. She paid no regard to the blood covering her face as she held a piece of paper in one hand and Boone's beret in the other. She threw open the door expecting Boone to be just as excited as she was. But he was stoic as always. She felt herself deflate a little but not much.

Boone looked at her cautiously, noting the way she didn't seem to be affected by watching Jeannie-May's head exploded mere inches from her own. In fact, her eyes were shining with delight. She was desensitized to killing, much like everyone else in the Mojave. But he blamed her naivety for not fully comprehending what had just occurred.

She was innocent.

"Did you see the way her head exploded?" The girl exclaimed, a smile spreading on her blood covered cheeks.

Morbidly innocent.

"How'd you know?" He asked, going straight to the point.

She handed him the Bill of Sale and stayed silent as he read it over. He clenched it up in his hand before tossing it in his pocket.

"So that's it, huh?" He exclaimed, turning back around to gaze down at Jeannie-May's body. He felt Killa slide up next to him.

"Do you think we're going to be in trouble now?" She asked. "A lot of people liked her, I think."

"No, people die out there." Boone replied. "Often enough that no one worries about blame. They're too anxious to forget it happened in the first place, I guess."

Killa glanced at him from the side of her eyes, "Maybe she'll wake up somewhere else, not remembering anything."

Boone looked at her questioning but didn't really pay mind to her words. She was just as insane as No-Bark, he realized.

"So what are you going to do now?" She asked, flicking a piece of flesh off her arm.

Boone shrugged, "I don't know. Probably travel around. Take out Legionaries. I can't stay here."

"You should travel with me." She said.

"You don't want that." He sighed, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it before taking a drag.

"What is that?" She asked and he was surprised when she reached up and grabbed it from his lips, studying it curiously. "I've seen a lot of people sucking on these."

Boone felt a smile twitch his lips but easily suppressed it. He took back everything he said. This girl was far more insane than No-Bark. Who was she? And why did she have the mentality of a child?

He grabbed it back, feeling a little irritated now and placed it back in his mouth.

"It's a cigarette." He answered.

"Cigarette." She repeated slowly, as if she had never heard the word before. "The smoke smells nice. I think I use to like those things."

Boone decided to not even question it. She talked about herself as if she was a completely different person.

"Anyways, I really think we should travel together." She said. "It's so lonely out there sometimes. And people can be so mean. This one time some guy beat me up and took all of my caps."

Boone contemplated it for a moment. The girl got on his nerve, but everybody did. Letting her go out there by herself would be sending her to her death. She was far too naïve and helpless to survive much longer. Her luck would run out soon enough.

"This isn't going to end well." He vocalized.

The girl shrugged, "Maybe it will."

Boone took another drag before turning away from Jeannie-May's body, "Fine. Let's get out of here."

He let Killa lead the way and something green caught his attention. Held tightly by one of the straps in her pack was one of those dinosaur souvenirs Cliff desperately tried to sell off. With a shake of his head, he continued down the stairwell. She was definitely far more insane than No-Bark.

* * *

**Ahh, so Boone's joining the party now. I hope you all enjoyed! Chapter 4 is partially written and should be out soon. Thanks for reading and don't forget to drop a review, folks! (:**


End file.
